Praedicator

Verba

Saturday, October 7, 2017 - Oct. 7 - Our Lady of the Rosary

[Acts 1:12-14 and Luke 1:26-38]

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2017 OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY
[Baruch 4:5-12, 27-29 and Luke 10:17-24. These scriptures will vary at Dominican locations since this is an important feast in our calendar.]
Turning to the disciples in private he said, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it." [Luke]
Jesus is speaking to the seventy-two additional disciples whom he sent out on mission as "advance teams." They were thrilled by what they were able to do in his name. He warns them not to get so excited about their "powers" but to rejoice in spreading the kingdom. Ministry can be a heady experience to the beginner until the everyday-ness takes hold!
This particular scene and many others like it in the Gospel According to Luke (and the other gospels as well) can serve as a "mystery" in the prayer we Catholics all know as "the rosary." The fifteen mysteries that we know by heart were put in place from many other lists by Pope Pius V (a Dominican) in 1571. Pope St. John Paul II added five more (the "luminous mysteries"). However, anyone can be creative and use the scriptures to create other "mysteries" to help with meditation on the life of Jesus, Mary or other important scriptural figures. Five parables, or miracles, or sayings, or persons can serve the purpose. One could divide today's gospel scripture into five phrases. One of these days I hope to publish a booklet on how this can be done.
Taking the traditional and comfortable rosary and returning it to its original purpose, which aimed at meditation on those mysteries of the life of Christ and Mary can be a powerful way of making the kingdom known. AMEN